Saving water

During the drought, Canberrans showed an impressive behavioural change towards the consumption of water and those behaviours have been maintained ever since. Consumption per person has consistently averaged 35-40% below levels experienced prior to the Millennium Drought.

Since the droughts, we’ve enlarged the Cotter Dam which increased our storage capacity by around 35%. This means water restrictions will not be required unless a more severe drought occurs than we have experienced in the 145 years of recorded history in Canberra. We’ve also implemented other water security contingencies that enable us to draw from other catchment areas if we find ourselves in strife.

Although we are still under Permanent Water Conservation Measures to ensure our continued security, our healthy water storage levels means we’re now in a position where we can focus on using water responsibly, rather than scarcely.

Understanding your water use

Has your water usage increased? There are many reasons that your usage may increase and this will ultimately impact on your bill - find out more.